Israeli television stations eventually quoted Netanyahu as criticising the military’s plan to start ’tactical pause’ in Rafah. ‘We have a country with an army, not an army with a country,’ he was quoted saying
Just hours after the Israel Defence Force (IDF) announced a “tactical pause” in its ongoing operation in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly expressed his displeasure with the plan.
On Sunday, the Israeli military announced a daily “tactical pause” that would begin in the Rafah area at 8 am (local time) and remain in effect until 7 pm (local time) along the main Salah al-Din road. The main aim of the pause is to allow aid trucks to transit between the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel.
However, a source close to the Prime Minister’s office said that the Israeli premier was not happy with the plan. “When the prime minister heard the reports of an 11-hour humanitarian pause in the morning, he turned to his military secretary and made it clear that this was unacceptable to him,” an unnamed Israeli official told media late on Sunday, The Guardian reported.
The official maintained that the Israeli Prime Minister received assurances that “there will be no change” in the military’s policy and fighting will continue in Rafah “as planned”. Interestingly, Israeli television stations eventually quoted Netanyahu as criticising the military. “We have a country with an army, not an army with a country," he was quoted saying.
Netanyahu’s reaction underlines the political tensions
The decision for a tactical pause came after the IDF stated that eight Israeli soldiers were killed during a military operation on Saturday. However, the reaction from Netanyahu underlined political tensions over the issue of aid coming into Gaza.
National security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who leads one of the nationalist religious parties in Netanyahu’s ruling coalition also denounced the idea of a “tactical pause”. He went on to say that whoever spearheaded the idea was a “fool” and should lose their job.
The spat is the latest in the series of clashes within Israel’s controversial war cabinet. Earlier this month, centrist former general Benny Gantz announced his resignation from the cabinet, accusing Netanyahu of having “no effective strategy in Gaza”. Interestingly, the limited pause was announced after talks with Egypt and pressure from the US to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The IDF notified that the pause was being coordinated with the UN and international aid agencies.
“We welcome this announcement,” said Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “This has yet to translate into more aid reaching people in need," he added.
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